Players believe that Capcom may have teased a new Dead Rising game after the Japanese publisher released new Frank West merchandise. The collectible has sparked speculation online that it could be hinting at Dead Rising 5. However, is it really a tease, or are fans reading too much into it?
New Frank West Merchandise Has Fans Convinced Capcom Teased Dead Rising 5
This latest rumor first started after Capcom recently released new Dead Rising merchandise to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary. Eagle-eyed players spotted what appeared to be a new Frank West design in one of the dolls being sold on the official website. This, of course, immediately sparked speculation online that it could be a tease for Dead Rising 5 or a new title in the dormant franchise.
“The official Capcom store showed off some new merchandise for Frank West. From that design we can see Frank is wearing a blue suit and potentially a new haircut,” a user on Reddit wrote, for example. Others speculated that it could be a tease for another Dead Rising remake that could feature the Frank West design.
All that said, I would take this latest rumor with a major grain of salt. For starters, the new Frank West plushie is a Tsum Tsum bean. So it’s possible the new suit color and hairstyle just looks different in its chibi style. Also, the new merchandise has a tag that says “Dead Rising 20th Anniversary” next to it, so it’s like a reference to the first game – even if it doesn’t really capture West’s look from the iconic title.
Why Fans Think Capcom Is Reviving Dead Rising
One of the reasons the Dead Rising rumor first got started is because Capcom has previously said it wants to expand the IP. In a May 2026 investors meeting, the Japanese publisher specifically listed Dead Rising as one of the series it would like to use to generate more revenue and brand growth.
This, of course, has led many players to believe that Dead Rising 5 or a new Dead Rising game could be in the works. However, this was never actually confirmed by Capcom. It’s also important to take a second look at what Capcom actually said. “Nurturing brands to be the next engine of growth. This includes: New IP, sequels, remakes, ports etc.”
So it’s entirely possible that we just get a Dead Rising port on Switch 2, or new merchandise. The 20th anniversary chibi Frank West plush would technically fall under that. There isn’t actually a guarantee that we get Dead Rising 5 or a remake, although they are also not entirely off the table either.
All that said, while I understand why fans are excited about the new Frank West merchandise having a seemingly “new design”, it might not be a Dead Rising 5 teaser. As the site says, it could just be a 20th anniversary doll with a cute chibi design. And well, our favorite zombie photographer just looks a little different when stylized as a cute plushie.
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